Surat: Scores of textile traders, who have returned back to business after 15-day long strike on Wednesday, are facing immense difficulties transporting their fabric parcels to other states. Reason — the transporters are refusing to deliver the goods of the traders without the Good and Service Tax (GST) number.The transporters have made it mandatory for traders to furnish the GST numbers of both the sender and the receiver for smooth supply of fabric parcels to other states. It is learnt that around 90% of the traders operating in Surat are yet to apply for the GST registration.Pre-GST, around 550 transport trucks were supplying saris, dress material, home furnishing fabric etc. worth of Rs 125 crore to various states daily. If the transporters are to be believed, they booked less than 10 per cent orders when the strike ended on Tuesday and that the booking on Wednesday is less than 20 per cent on Wednesday.Majority of textile traders have not taken the GST registration following the 'No GST, No registration' agitation launched by the Textile GST Sangarsh Samiti (TGSS) from July 1. The indefinite strike was announced from July 3, which resulted in the closure of 165 textile markets located on Ring Road, Salabatpura and Sahara Darwaja.Transporters said they can't take the risk of coughing up huge penalty amount for transporting goods without GST numbers. The police and the GST officials have been checking each and every truck entering from the borders of other states at the RTO check points.President of Surat Textile Goods Transporters Association (STGTA) Yuvraj Deshle said, "All the transporters in the city have put up notices at their booking offices stating that the goods for transpiration will be accepted only with GST and invoice number. The transporters have turned down many requests from the traders to transport their goods without GST."Deshle added, "Majority of traders have not even applied for GST registration, forget their GST numbers. Our truck drivers have informed that the commercial tax department officials and police are catching the trucks supplying goods without GST and invoice details."Owner of Bisnoi Roadways Prem Bishnoi said, "We have to turn down the transport request of our regular customers too because they don't have GST numbers."Former president of Federation of Surat Textile Traders' Association (FOSTTA) Devkishan Manghani said, "The traders not having GST registration are just sitting idle in their shops. They can't send or receive goods from other states. The situation is likely to remain like this for another fortnight."

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